Happenings

The second annual Brandywine Food & Wine Festival, presented by The Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, Delaware Today and Main Line Today, will be held on June 8, 2013, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Myrick Conservation Center, West Chester, PA. The festival will celebrate all things local, from food and wine to music and crafts. Festival attendees can sample regional wines from 10 Brandywine Valley area wineries. In addition to local wines, many local foods will be featured. Jonathan Amann, chef at Amani’s BYOB restaurant and two-time winner of Best Chef in Chester County, will be conducting a local wine and cooking demonstration. The Chester County Beekeepers Association will sweeten the day with various types of local honey in their demonstration. Pike Creek Coffee Roasterie will provide a caffeinated lift with their perfectly roasted coffees. Tickets for the Brandywine Food & Wine Festival may be purchased in advance by visiting www.pawinefestival.com or by visiting any Brandywine Valley Wine Trail member winery. The tickets include admission, 10 wine tastings, access to the food demonstrations, live music and access to the silent auction. Pricing is $15 in advance (ages 21 and over) and $20 at the gate. Persons aged 10 to 20 years old are $5 in advance or at the gate. The festival is a rain or shine event and no refunds will be given. Ample free parking is available and bus groups are welcomed. For more about the Brandywine Food & Wine Festival, go to www.pawinefestival.com, contact info@bvwinetrail.com or call 610-444-3842.

Artisan Exchange, the indoor artisan food and farmers market in West Chester, features local food from local businesses. They are open every Saturday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at 208 Carter Drive, Ste. 13B, West Chester, in the Matlack Industrial Center. For more information, go to www.artisanexchange.com. Kids will be able to make a flag wind sock, a flag themed wreath, and other flag themed crafts.

Comedy Explosion 2013, hosted by comedian Reginald Ballard, aka “BRUH-MAN,” from the TV series “Martin,” Def Comedy Jam and the movies “A Menace to Society and “Class Act,” will take place at the Wyndham Garden Hotel Ballroom, 815 N. Pottstown Pike, Exton, 19341 on Sunday, May 26, at 9 p.m.

Visit Upper Schuylkill Valley Park on Saturday, May 25, 2013 from 8 a.m.- noon to join the fun at the park’s sixth annual Schuylkill River fishing derby. Prizes will be awarded for the biggest and smallest catch to children 12 years old and under. This is a great way for the family to spend time together along the beautiful Schuylkill River. There is a $2 per person suggested donation. Participants must preregister at 610-948-5170. This event is weather permitting as all of the activities will be held outside. All PA Fish and Boat Commission regulations apply. Visitors must bring their own supplies for fishing. Upper Schuylkill Valley Park is located on Route 113 in Royersford, Pa, directly across from Parkhouse (Montgomery County Geriatric Center). The park is open year-round, except major holidays. For more information about the park, visit www.montcopa.org/index.aspx?nid=875. For further information about this program, call 610-948-5170.

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The Brandywine Museums & Gardens Alliance is entering year five of its annual Treasure Trail Passport Program, offering admission discounts to 11 Brandywine Valley attractions. The promotion is valid from Saturday, May 25, 2013 (the beginning of Memorial Day weekend) through Monday, September 2, 2013 (Labor Day). For just $35 per adult, or $75 for a family of two adults and up to three children, visitors receive a Brandywine Treasure Trail Map and a passport good for one-time admission at each of these 11 Brandywine Valley Museums and Gardens: the Brandywine River Museum, Delaware Art Museum, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Delaware Historical Society & Read House, Delaware Museum of Natural History, Hagley Museum and Library, Longwood Gardens, Mt. Cuba Center, Nemours Mansion & Gardens, Rockwood Park & Museum, and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. The sites are all within a ten-mile radius centered near Wilmington, Del. Passports are available now at www.brandywinetreasures.org and will be available May 25, 2013 at all eleven member sites and at the Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau. For more information, visit www.brandywinetreasures.org.

Parastudy will offer a new series of evening workshops, “Full Moon and Goddess Energy Gathering.” Laurie Hull will lead a session on Freya, the Norse Goddesses of love, beauty and destiny, on Friday, May 24. A year-long series of workshops, “Full Moon and Goddess Energy Gathering,” is set to launch at Parastudy, to explore the spiritual significance of these various Goddesses which were associated with the full moon. The series will be held each month of the year on the day of the full moon. Each session will be 8-9:30 p.m. and will cost $7 for members and $10 for non-members. For more information, visit www.parastudy.org. Parastudy is at 354 Valleybrook Road, Chester Heights.

Friday Nights under the Stars begins their summer concert/ polo series on May 31 at the Brandywine Polo Club fields located at 232 Polo Road in Toughkenamon, Pa. Now in its third year, the concert series combines an evening of food, music and polo beginning at 5:30 on Friday nights. This season $1 of every ticket goes to the Education Foundation of Unionville/Chadds Ford School District. Guests will be able to enjoy such vendors as Carolina Pit BBQ, Galen Estate winery or they may bring their own picnic basket to the fields and enjoy a glorious evening under the stars in the Brandywine Valley. Tickets are $20 online and $25 at the gate. Children under 16 years of age are free. For more information, go to www.fridaynightunderthestars.com.

An outstanding selection of bonsai (ornamental trees and shrubs whose growth is trained using an ancient Japanese craft) will be on display in the Brandywine River Museum Courtyard. Members of the Brandywine Bonsai Society will be present to demonstrate training techniques and answer questions regarding special care of these extraordinary trees. The event takes place June 1 and 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Brandywine River Museum is located at U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford. Admission on Saturday is included with general museum admission ($12 for adults; $8 for senior citizens; $6 for students; free for children under six and Brandywine Conservancy members). Museum admission is free on Sunday mornings (except May 29 during Annual Antiques Show) from 9:30 a.m. until noon through November 24.) For more information, call 610-388-2700.

Celebrate the return of the “pick-your-own” season at Linvilla Orchards with the annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 1 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pick your own strawberries to bring home for the family and share with friends. Bring your kids on a hayride out to the fields with acres of strawberries just waiting to be plucked right off the plant! This event will be hosted by Makin’ Music featuring music and fun all day long. Children will enjoy taking pictures with costumed characters like Strawberry Dog, Backpack Girl and Curious Monkey, face painting, pony rides, playing games and participating in contests. Linvilla Orchards is a 300-acre family farm dedicated to agriculture, education and entertainment, and is located at 137 West Knowlton Road, in Media. Call 610-876-7116, or visit www.linvilla.com.

The 8th Annual Spring BOPC Car Show, presented by Delaware Valley Oldsmobile Club, will be held Sat., June 1. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine. All Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, and Cadillacs welcome. Advance registration of $10 is due by May 24, $15 day of show (pre-registration is non-refundable). The show will be held at the Granite Run Mall 1067 West Baltimore Pike, Media Pa. 19063. For more information, email dvocinfo@yahoo.com.

Peddler’s Village presents the 29th Annual Fine Arts & Contemporary Crafts Show on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, 2013, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., rain or shine. Admission and parking are free. This annual celebration of the arts is an open-air treat for the senses. Discover a beautiful work from more than 35 of the region’s best artists exhibiting and selling a variety of work from paintings, photography, wood creations and mixed media to jewelry, pottery, glasswork, fiber creations, and ceramics. Artists demonstrate their craft, providing visitors the opportunity to watch the creative process. Artists were juried in by a committee of art experts, ensuring only the highest quality of exhibited work. Judges select show winners, awarding $2,000 in cash prizes. One artist will receive the Founders Award and Peddler’s Village will purchase his or her work for the Jamison Family’s art collection on permanent display in the Village. For more information, please visit www.peddlersvillage.com or call 215-794-4000.

Thousands of people are expected to join the festivities on Sunday, June 2, at Rose Tree Park in Media from 11:30 until 6 p.m. for The Italian American Heritage Festival. Since its inception, the festival has welcomed increasing numbers of people (from 3,000 in 2010 to 10,000 in 2012) who have grown to love spending a Sunday afternoon in June enjoying this celebration of Italian-American culture. Italian authors, artists, sports figures, automobiles, food and entertainment are all part of the celebration. The 2013 festival will continue the tradition of free admission for all. For more information, visit www.celebrationsitalianstyle.org, or www.facebook.com/celebrationsitalianstyle.

You probably know him best as the internationally renowned author who touched us with the memoir Tuesdays with Morrie. But in addition to writing best-selling books, he’s a radio and TV broadcaster (ESPN’s The Sports Reporters and SportsCenter), musician, journalist, screenwriter and playwright. And, he has a heart for mission – a big heart for mission, working in the trenches with the many charities he has founded. Mark your calendar, because Mitch Albom is coming to Hopewell United Methodist Church in Downingtown! On Saturday evening, June 8 at 5:25 pm, Mitch Albom will be presenting his mission testimony in Hopewell’s amphitheater. Hosted by the Men’s Ministry, it will be a non-denominational evening for all to gather and celebrate the many blessings of mission work and hear Mitch’s personal story. Free tickets are available at mitchalbumhopewellumc.ticketleap.com. Joining Mitch will be Talk Radio 1210 WPHT’s Chris Stigall, keyboardist Todd Waites of ApologetiX, Eagles Jeremiah Trotter and Barrett Brooks, Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier and major league pitcher C.J. Nitkowski. Hopewell United Methodist Church Amphitheater is located at 852 Hopewell Road, Downingtown 19335.

The West Chester Public Library’s 125th Anniversary Block Party will be held on Saturday, June 8 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m in the three blocks immediately surrounding the library at 415 N. Church Street. This is a one-time event to celebrate this significant milestone. The opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. with local officials presenting citations. Vocal Ease, a local barbershop quarter, will perform during the ceremony. The kickoff for the summer reading program will take place during this event. This year’s theme is Paging Through Time. There will be plenty of free activities for children: story times, crafts, face painting, mime, juggling and strolling favorite book characters, Clifford the Red Dog and Curious George. There will be a fire truck to climb on and a moon bounce. The Chester County Antique Car club will bring cars from various decades to show off. The Wheelmen will give a demonstration on antique bicycles. The band, Cold Side of the Pillow, and folk singers, Quaker David & Friends will perform in the courtyard. The library’s chess club will take on challengers in the upper courtyard from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Booksellers, local authors, and craft vendors will have booths. Community organizations such at the YMCA, SPCA, and Delaware Museum of Natural History will have special exhibits. Inside the library, you can vote on your favorite entry in the Repurposed Book Art Contest, artwork made by recycling discarded books. In the evening, there will be free entertainment on the lawn at John Milner Associates, 535 N. Church St. Join ‘Randini the Remarkable’ at 6 p.m. for an hour-long adventure filled with juggling, stories and a bit of magic! And don’t be surprised if Randini invites you up on-stage to help with the program! Amerikids, a local service organization of middle school students, will perform patriotic and show tunes for the last hour. Bring a blanket and a picnic supper A food trolley will be available for food purchases as well as Jack & Jill selling ice cream. For more information, go to www.wcpubliclibrary.org or call 610 696-1721.

Bill Vosseler of Garnet Valley will present a unique view point of the Civil War, bringing the past to life and making history come to life by appearing at Parastudy, Monday, June 10 as Major-General George H. Thomas. Of the six ranking Lieutenant and Major-Generals in the Union Army at the end of the Civil War, George Henry Thomas was the only one of Southern birth, the only one whose record of military service was uninterrupted throughout his entire career and the only one never to have met Lincoln. He was also the only one who never lost a battle in which he was in command, and the only General in the entire war to completely annihilate an army in the field. Learn more about him Monday, June 10 at Parastudy. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; the talk begins at 8 p.m. The cost of the lecture is $7 for members and $10 for non-members. Parastudy is in the Victorian mansion at 354 Valleybrook Road, Chester Heights. For more information, www.parastudy.org.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest stand-up comedians of our time, Jackie Mason returns to the Philadelphia area for one show only at the Valley Forge Casino Resort on Saturday, June 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets went on sale April 26 at 10 a.m. through TicketFly.com or charge-by-phone at 877-987-6487. Mason is currently more popular than ever, using his precise combination of pungent political satire, insightful observations on the foibles of modern life and impeccable timing to gain more fans with each show. Celebrated for his stand-up comedy and made legendary as a regular guest on the Ed Sullivan Show, throughout the years Mason has starred in a variety of successful televisions shows, films and in his own one-man show.

2nd Sunday Flavor Fair Returns to Downtown Lancaster. 2nd Sunday Flavor Fair, a monthly summer event in Downtown Lancaster features local caterers/restaurants/food purveyors offering fresh and delicious dishes for sale monthly June through October. There is also live music by local performers. The season starts Sunday, June 9 and continues July 14, Aug. 11, Sept. 8. The fair is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the courtyard area outside BUiLDiNG CHARACTER, rear warehouses at 342 N. Queen St., Lancaster, PA 17603. For more information, go to www.BUiLDiNGCHARACTER.biz/flavorfair, or www.facebook.com/flavorfair.